The 33-year-old former contract caricature artist with Universal Orlando threatened his boss Friday morning that if he was actually fired, he'd kill one of his co-workers, according to an Orlando police report.

Minutes later, park security officers in the Toon Lagoon area of Islands of Adventure were pulling Torres off a bloody and battered Glenn Ferguson as he lay on the ground next to a pair of green scissors.

Park guests captured part of the altercation on cell phones and told Orlando police they saw Torres lunge and swing at Ferguson, according to the report released Monday.

Torres then got on top of 42-year-old Ferguson, police said, and stabbed him several times with the scissors.

Police said Torres was fired the day before, but showed up to the Islands of Adventure park about 9 a.m. on Friday for work.

Glenn Ferguson, a well-known local caricature artist, was stabbed by a former co-worker on New Year's Day.

Glenn Ferguson, a well-known local caricature artist, was stabbed by a former co-worker on New Year's Day.

Ferguson – also a contractor caricature artist at the park – called their boss, who immediately contacted Torres to tell him to leave, according to the report.

Torres got upset and threatened to "slit Glenn's throat," and "kill your number one artist," the report states. Park security officers were then notified of the situation and responded to the Toon Lagoon area.

Park guests told police they saw Torres chasing Ferguson. At one point, a security officer got between the pair and it appeared Ferguson took cover behind the officer, the report states.

Torres then started swinging at Ferguson's head and the pair ended up on the ground before officers could pull Torres away, according to police.

The other man involved in the dispute was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition. His name was not released.

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Two contractors got into a fight Friday at Universal's Islands of Adventure, and one of them, Frederick Torres, 33, was charged with attempted murder, Orlando police said.

The other man involved in the dispute was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition. His name was not released.

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(Caitlin Dineen)

Ferguson was taken to a local hospital and rushed into emergency surgery with multiple stab wounds.

Police said one of the wounds severed an artery in his neck and another caused brain damage. At the time of his surgery, doctors told police Ferguson had a 50 percent chance of surviving, according to the report.

Police said Torres is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder. He is being held in the Orange County Jail without bail.

On Friday, Universal Orlando spokesman Tom Schroder confirmed that both men were contractors and not park employees.

Both are listed as artists with Fasen Arts, a local company that contracts with Universal Orlando along with other theme parks and entertainment venues across the country to provide caricature drawings to visitors.

Stephen Fasen worked with Ferguson for more than 20 years and described him as a surrogate son.

"Glenn came to me as an aspiring artist when he was 17," Fasen said. "As his artistic abilities grew, there was a point at which he just found himself in terms of his art work."

Ferguson's work took him across the country and he honed his craft as a digital artist as well, Fasen said.

"He was very humble about it," Fasen said. "There was always something more he could learn. There was always another level he could aspire to."

"Caricature is an editorial art form," he noted. "So it's a statement."

Clients who sat in front of Ferguson could expect the artist to ask about them and how their trip was going.

"Glenn is always focused on a proper relationship with people and they respond to that," Fasen said.

Along with his knack for people, Ferguson honed an intense work ethic, Fasen observed.

Ferguson had picked up work on New Year's Day because there had been an open chair, he said.

"I know initially he was not scheduled to be there," Fasen said.

But it's a busy of the year, and Ferguson took the opportunity.

As for the attack that unfolded that day, Fasen said he could not have imagined that something like that would happen.

"Was there any indication that this could possibly happen in the universe, at this time under any circumstances?" Fasen said. "And the answer is no."

Fellow artists, friends and family from across the world have sent an outpouring of support on social media to Ferguson and his family, offering prayers and words of hope for a full recovery.

Hundreds have donated to a GoFundMe page set up by a fellow artist to help Ferguson's wife cover his medical bills. In just two days, the fundraising effort has generated more than $39,000 for Ferguson.